Today's snowmaking equipments generally comprise several dozens of snowmakers distributed along the slope to be equipped and each supplied with water and possibly with air through branches of main ducts running along the slope (see notably documents KR-2002 000 6111 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,832).
At each snowmaker, these branches end at a water and/or air dispensing system which is equipped with means for managing the desired water and/or air flow rates of the snowmaker in question, these means generally consisting in a valve associated with a double-acting electric actuator supplied with a control voltage of typically 230 VAC.
These devices, as well as the management means thereof, are accommodated in a shelter located in close proximity of the snowmaker. For operation, they are supplied from the electricity network, typically 230 VAC.
For such equipments, it is important that the valve supplying the snowmaker can be placed in security configuration in case of electricity network failure. Indeed, in case of current cut-off during the snowmaker operation, in absence of such a security, the valve would stay in a defined configuration, with no more control possibility.
To that end, the snowmaking equipment conventionally comprises a back-up power supply, mounted in parallel with the main power supply, comprising a battery associated with a centralized inverter enabling, from an absence of current detected on the main power supply, to place all the valves of the slope snowmakers in a definite security configuration (fully and tightly closed state, or else).
However, these centralized security means need regular maintenance (in particular, for controlling the battery charge) and the overall production cost thereof is relatively high.
Further, an electric problem at one of the snowmakers may entail consequences on the operation of the whole equipment; for example, a short-circuit in a 230 VAC-powered motor will activate the differential security protection of the whole trail or slope.